Means whereby a slidably mounted body may be floated by fluid



M y 3 93 G. s. MGILLYCUDDY MEANS WHEREBY A SLIDABLY MOUNTED BODY MAY BE FLOATED BY FLUID PRESSURE Filed Feb. 1, 1932 Gi i/57671901142) 1272212 tor:

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Patented May 3%, 1933 oNi'r'En- STATES PATENT Q T GEORGE S. IMGILLYCUDDY, OF RAPID GKTY, SOUTH DAKOTA swans WHEREBY' A SLIDABLY Moun'rnn BonY MAY BE FLOATED BY; FLUID rnnssuan Application filed February 1, 1932. Serial-No. 590,218.

My invention relates to improvements in means whereby a' slidably mounted body may be floated by fluid pressure, and itconsists in the "combinations, constructions, and arrangements hereindescribed and claimed.

An object of my invent-ionis to provide means whereby a slidably mounted body may be supported or floated by a fluid pressure applied underneath the body. v A further, object is to provide means whereby a slidably mounted body may be floated and its bearing surfaces lubricated.

A more specific object of my invention is to provideimeans whereby the piston may be floated in its cylinder. It is well known that any heavy, horizontally moving object which is slidablyjmounted on asmooth bearing surface wears down boththe supported and the supporting bearing surfaces. This causes a play and an unevenness which are detrimental to the proper functioning of almostany machine or engine. Myinvention is chiefly directed toward eliminating or at least greatlyireducingtthe cause of this objectionable effect by applyin a fluid pressure between the lower bearing surfaces.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated inthe acconipanying drawing5 forming part of this applicatioinin which Figure 1 is a side elevational partly seetiona l, View of a piston and cylinder construction embodying my invention, 1

Figure 2 is a section taken alongrthe line 2 -2 of Figure 1, Y 7 v Figure 3- 's an enlarged detailed view of the piston,

Figure 1 is a detailed sectional view showing a modification of my invention, and

Figure 5 'is a fragmentary bottom plan view illustrating another modification of my invention.

In carrying out my inventiom l providea steam piston and cylinder construction 1 including a steam engine cylinder 2 and a piston 3. This cylinder may if desiredlbe provided with the conventional D-valve construction,

not shown, as'it is well known" in the art.. The piston rod 4; isprovided with I an elongated central bore 5 which may be closed at either end in any suitable manner. The end of the piston rod not connected to the piston is slidably supported by a cross bar 6 which is slidably mounted on theguide means 7.. The guide means? may be rigidly connected to the cylinder 2 andv to an end piece 8, each of which may, be rigidly mounted on any suitable support- 8. The. elements indicated by thenumera'lsfi, 7 and- 8 well known to the art .firld'lG'CllllIGIlO detailed description. 1

The piston 3 may be provided with a: central opening 9 through which the piston rod 4 may extend and -berigidly secured to the. piston by a threaded collar means 10 and a threaded plug 11. The lowermost portion of: the piston 3is provided with a recessed portion 12. The, size of this recessed portion should be sufficient for the purpose intended. The exactiarea.ofthe reeessedvportion will depend largely uponthe weight of the piston 3 ,and the pressureof the fluid to'be used in. the recessed portion. This recessed portion 12 is operatively connected to the pistons central opening 9 by meansofa fluidpassageway 13. The end of the piston rod 4 connected to the'eylinder 2 is provided with a radial opening 14 whichis sopo'sitioned that the internal bore 5 is placed in communi cation with the passageway 13 and the recessed portion 12 when the piston and the piston rod are properly assembled together. This arrangement may be, well understood by referring to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawing. The piston rod 4 is also provided with a second radial opening 15 which communicates with a portion of the internal bore 5 which is without the cylinder'2. This opening may be threaded and operatively connected to the lower end of a hollow or tubular swinging joint construction 16 which is pivotally and operatively connected to a stationary hollow metal container 17, the interior of whichis in operative communication with a fluid pressure supply pipe 18. The swinging joint construction 16 may consi'stof the pipes 19 and 20 operativ-ely connected to any suitable hollow universal or swinging joint 21. The pipe 18 may be connected to any high fluid pressure means, not shown, such as for instance a steam boiler or compressed air reservoir and pump, means.

Now referring to Figures 2 and 3, the piston 2 may be provided with piston rings 22 disposed in annular grooves, one of which is indicated at 23. The recessed portion 12 is disposed between these grooves. The piston is also provided with transverse slots 24, one of which is disposed on either side of the re cessed portion, and each ofwhich may be in communication with each of the piston ring grooves. 'Slidably fitted in each of these slots are spring-pressed bars 26.

Each of these bars may be in sliding relation with the inner sides of the piston rings 22. The piston rings 22 and the springpressed bars 26 tend to prevent the compressed fluid from escaping from the lower side of the piston.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. Let us assume that the pipe 18 is operatively connected to any suitable compressed fluid supply. The fluid will of course pass into the recessed portion 12 by way of the container 17, the swinging joint construction 16, the piston rod bore 5 and the fluid passageway 13.

It is obvious that the major portion of the compressed fluid will be prevented from escaping from the immediate vicinity of the recessed portion 12 by the action of the piston rings 22 and the spring-pressed bars 26. The pressure exerted by this fluid will tend to lift the piston out of bearing relation with the lower inner surface 27 of the cylinder. The area of the recessed portion and the pressure of the fluid may be so proportion-ed that the weight of the cylinder will be practically neutralized by the pressure exerted in the recessed portion. WVhenthis is done, the excessive wearing away of the lower bearing surfaces of the piston and cylinder will be largely prevented.

The compressed fluid may, if desired, be intermixed by any suitable means, (such as for instance, a spraying construction not shown) with a lubricating oil. A part of the mixed fluid will of course escape from the recessed portion 12 around the piston rings 22 and the spring-pressed bars 26, and the lubricant in the mixed fluid will be applied to the bearing surfaces within the cylinder. It has been demonstrated under actual working conditions that the application of this compressed fluid to the recessed portion adds to the life and efficiency of the construction embodying this improvement.

In Figure 4, I have shown a modified form of my invention including a cylinder 2', a piston 3, and a hollow piston rod 4. The

piston rod 4 is provided with a central bore 5, the outer end of which may be closed. The piston 3' is provided with a central opening 9, a recessed portion 12' and a connecting passageway 13. The recessed portion may be sealed by piston rings 22 and springpressed bars 26 in the same manner as is the piston 3 used inthe preferred form of my invention. One end of the cylinder 2 is pro vided with an end plate 29 having an internally threaded centrally disposed opening 30 to which may be threadedly secured an externally threaded tubular means 31. This tubular means may be provided on its inner end with an inwardly extending flange 32 and on its outer end with an outwardly extending flange 33. Secured to the tubular member 31 by screws 34 is a flanged cup-' shaped member 35 which is provided with a threaded opening 36. A. fluid pressure supply pipe 18 may be threadedly secured in the threaded opening 36-and may be operatively connected to any suitable pressure supply means. a

One end of a pipe 37 having a springpressed bearing abutment means 38 is 0peratively secured Within a hollow recess 39 formed by the junction of the tubular member 31 and the cup-shaped member 35. The

pipe 37 extends inwardly into the central opening 9 and the hollow piston rod 4. The pipe 37 has a substantially smaller outside diameter than the internal diameter of the opening 9' and the piston rod 4. This arrangement permits the fluid to pass from the inner end of the pipe 37 to the recessed portion 12. The pipe 37 passes through and is in bearing relation with a bearing member 40. This bearing member may be of any conventional construction, but in its preferred form consists of a threaded tube 41 having a transversely disposed bearing member 42 which is provided with two externally threaded bearing means 43 and paclr ing rings 44.

In Figure 5, Ihave shown fragmentarily the lower side 45 of a sliding body 46. The lower side 45 is provided with a recessed portion 47 and a fluid passageway 47 This recessed portion 47' is surrounded by a spring-pressed ring 48 slidably carried and nicely fitted in a groove 49. The springpressed ring 48 will of course conform. to the surface of the lower side of the sliding body. This surface may be either plane or circular. The shape of the supporting bearing surface, not shown, will of course conform with the bearing surface of the sliding body. The fluid passageway will of course be operatively connected to a fluid supply means.

It will of course be understood that the piston rods 4 and 4 may if desired be made integral with their respective pistons and that any suitable flexible pipe means may be substituted for or used in place of the swinging joint construction 16'.

I claim:

1. A. combined cylinder and piston rod construction comprising a piston cylinder, a piston slidably mounted within the cylinder provided with a piston rod, said piston rod having a central bore closed at one end and being provided with a bearing member at its other end, said piston and cylinder construction also being provided with an end plate having a central threaded opening, and a threaded pipe coupling means threadedly secured to said opening, said pipe coupling means having a threaded opening at its outer end and being provided with a recessed interior, said cylinder and said piston construction also having a fluid pipe, one end of said fluid pipe being secured in said threaded pipe coupling means and being in operative communication with the before-mentioned opening in the pipe coupling means, said pipe being slidably mounted in the piston bearing and. being in operative communication with the fluid passageway.

52. A cylinder construction of the class described, said construction comprising a cylinder having end plates and a portion slidably disposed in the cylinder and being provided with a piston rod having an internal bore closed at one end and open at the other end, one of the end plates being provided with an opening having a pipe coupling means disposed in said opening and rigidly secured to the end plate, the pipe coupling means having a hollow interior and being provided with an opening at either end for operatively receiving a pipe, a pipe disposed in one end of the pipe coupling and being slidably mounted with the piston, the piston being provided with a recessed portion on its lower side, and a fluid passageway communicating with the recessed portion and said pipe being disposed in said fluid passageway for supplying a fluid under pressure in the recessed portion for the purpose herein described.

3. A cylinder construction of the class described, said construction comprising a cylinder having end plates and a portion slidably dispose-d in the cylinder and being provided with a piston rod having an internal bore closed at one end and open at the other end, one of the end plates being provided with an opening having a pipe coupling means disposed in said opening and rigidly secured to the end plat-e, the pipe coupling means having a hollow interior and being provided with an opening at either end for operatively receiving a pipe, a pipe disposed in one end of the pip-e coupling and being slidably mounted with the piston, the piston being provided with a recessed portion on its lower side, and a fluid passageway communicating with the recessed portion and said pipe being disposed in said fluid passageway for supplyinga fluid under pressure in the recessed portion for the purpose herein described, said r-ecessed portion being surrounded by sealing means for sealing the fluid under pressure between the lower portion of the piston and the adjacent surface of the interior walls of the cylinder.

4. Mechanism of the class described comprising a cylinder, a piston therein provided with piston rings, a piston rod connected to said piston and having an axial bore therein closed at one end, a conduit for conducting fluid under pressure into said bore, said piston having a radial duct communicating with said bore and terminating in an outlet port at the lower side of said piston between said rings, and a pair of spring pressed cylinder contacting bars seated in longitudinal slots in the lower portion of said piston on opposite sides of said port and extending from One of said rings to the other to term therewith a sealed'inclosure for fluid under pressure delivered thereto.

GEORGE S. MGILLYCUDDY. 

